Dinner at Haxenhaus in Köln

It was already dark in the city of Köln or Cologne in Germany. I know it isn’t that late yet but it was winter and the days are short. I think I was just trying to find an excuse to go back to the hotel since it was cold and difficult to move around. There wasn’t any snow but I wasn’t prepared for that level of cold. I thought I brought my gloves with me but they weren’t in my pocket so just bringing out the camera or even the phone can be a painful experience. I was walking along a street is just behind the River Rhine and it seems to be lined with various restaurants.

This was my first time in Germany and I would like to say that I am not all that familiar with German cuisine. However, I do know that the food here would be quite similar to what I had in Poland, which is basically, sausages and a lot of other meat. One of the things which I do know about German cuisine is their pork knuckles or schweinshaxen or just plain haxen. I am no stranger to this dish and I know it can be very good. Most of the restaurants along this strip pretty much serve this, but nothing says good schweinshaxen like naming your store after it.

I saw this place named Haxenhaus which is basically house of pork knuckle. It wasn’t full at the time of my visit so I was able to quickly get a seat. Naturally, I ordered one of their signature knuckles called the Augustus. It came with the promised roasted knuckle but also with two types of sausages. One looked like a traditional long sausage but the other one is like meat loaf, except it tasted like a sausage. This is all served on a bed of potatoes and sauerkraut. I have a good idea of what to expect when eating German style pork knuckles. The skin may look good but it is seldom crispy. The skin at Haxenhaus was no different. I only wish that it is crispier. The meat was good though but you would need some of that sauerkraut to cleanse your palate every now and then. It is definitely a vegetarian’s nightmare. I had difficulty finishing all the food but I was at least able to finish all the meat and sausages. It was a great meal, would have been better if the skin was crispy but I don’t think that is the style of German pork knuckles.

The restaurant itself is very traditional. There are large tables in the restaurant where people would share with other tables. I was eating alone and I ended up sharing a table with another group. It seemed to be a nice place to hang out if I wasn’t so tired from the travel from that morning. To push everything all down, I had some local beer which is made in specific style in Köln – Kölsch. I can’t say that the beer was anything special, since I had better tasting beer elsewhere but I still try the local stuff whenever I get the chance.

Haxenhaus

Frankenwerft 19, 50667 Köln, Germany
+492212704990

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